Singapore-Malaysia tensions put Lion City’s lawyers to the test

Differences between the countries – from a delayed multibillion-dollar high-speed rail deal to rows over air space and maritime boundaries – are rooted in law, attorney general says ahead of talks between foreign ministers.

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Singapore's Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan. Photo: AFP

Published: 8:33pm, 7 Jan 2019Updated: 10:45pm, 7 Jan 2019

Singapore’s government lawyers played a crucial role in negotiations and providing advice to officials as the Lion City’s ties with Malaysia were “put to the test” in 2018, the country’s attorney general said on Monday, a day ahead of talks between the two neighbours over their recently frayed ties.

Lucien Wong, the government’s top lawyer, did not mention the Tuesday meeting between Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan and his Malaysian counterpart Saifuddin Abdullah, but his speech to the legal community outlined the extent to which many of the differences between the countries were deeply rooted in law.

He identified dealing with “cross-border relationships” as one of three key themes his chambers paid close attention to last year.

“It has been a challenging year in this regard, with our bilateral ties with our closest neighbour put to the test,” Wong said, according to an official transcript of his speech at an event marking the opening of the legal year.

“As a small country, Singapore is never immune from political changes in neighbouring countries, especially Malaysia,” he said.

Mahathir Mohamad: hawkish to Singapore. Photo: EPA

Following the election defeat last year of the largely Singapore-friendly prime minister Najib Razak and the return to power of Mahathir Mohamad – widely viewed as hawkish towards his country’s neighbour – the island republic has found itself at the receiving end of changes in Malaysian policy.

Among them are Mahathir’s decision to delay a multibillion-dollar high-speed rail project signed up to during Najib’s era, his plans to review the price of fresh water sold to Singapore, and two recent developments to do with air space and maritime boundaries.